Myanmar (Burma) - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 545

DIRECTORY
Internet You'll see locals taking advantage of the free
wi-fi in the truck terminal.
Money There is a branch of KBZ Bank just southwest of
the truck terminal.

charging K15000-19,000 per person,
where you visit small workshops making
things such as coconut-fibre doormats,
rubber bands and walking sticks.

Win Sein Taw Ya
he 170m-long reclining Buddha,
Win Sein Taw Ya , situated 24km south of
Mawlamyine near Mudon, is remarkable
both for its scale and for the fact that you
can wander around inside it. Still a work
in progress, and with an even larger
counterpart being constructed opposite,
it contains dozens of chambers with
sculptures depicting scenes from the life
of Buddha and grisly images from
Buddhist hell. here are also several other
shrines in the area. A motorbike taxi here
will cost K6000 return, while a pick-up
from the Zeigyo bus station is K700. It's
a twenty-minute walk to the Buddha
from the highway, or you could try to
hop onto a pick-up.

MAWLAMYINE
he capital of British Lower Burma from
1827-52, when it was known as
Moulmein, Mawlamyine remains a busy
port. Visitors looking for vestiges of
colonial atmosphere may initially be
disappointed by Myanmar's third-largest
city, but a wander around reveals many
old buildings in various states of neglect.
he city is also the base for day-trips to
attractions ranging from a colossal
Buddha - big enough to walk into - to a
sobering war cemetery.

7

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
he waterside Strand Road is the city's
most important thoroughfare, and
towards its northern end are three busy
markets. For colonial-era buildings,
however, a better bet is Upper Main
Road , running inland parallel to
Strand Road.
Dotted with pagodas, the central ridge
of hills makes for a great sunset trip. Start
at Uzina Paya at the southern end, head
north to nearby U Khanti Paya and then
continue for about half an hour to the
impressive Kyaikthanlan Paya. A covered
walkway runs back towards town, but it's
worth pressing on to see the mirrored
interior of Mahamuni Paya.
Quiet little Shampoo Island (Gaungse
Kyun), just a few minutes by boat from
the city, makes an easy escape from the
busy streets. he island is home to a
collection of small stupas and is
inhabited only by monks, nuns, and
their dogs. he boat (K2000 return)
runs from a shack beyond the
abandoned Mawylamyine Hotel at the
northern end of town.

Thanbyuzayat and around
Thanbyuzayat , 64km south of
Mawlamyine, was the end point of the
Burma-Siam “death railway”, built under
appalling conditions for the Japanese
army by forced labour, including Allied
prisoners of war. here's a locomotive
and piece of track on display to
commemorate it, and also a well-kept
and soberingly low-key war cemetery.
Buses run to hanbyuzayat from
Mawlamyine's main market (hourly
6am-4pm; 2hr).
he seaside town of Kyaikkimi , 9km
northwest of hanbyuzayat, is visited by
locals for Yele Paya - a pagoda which is
set on stilts over the sea. It can be
reached by bus from Mawlamyine, or
by pick-up from hanbyuzayat. here's
also a minibus from Mawlamyine
market at 7am daily which visits
Kyaikkami and then spends an hour or
so at the grubby Setse beach before
returning to Mawlamyine.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By plane The airport is 8km southeast of town, and can
be reached by motorbike (K1500) or taxi (K3000).
Destinations Mae Sot, Thailand (daily; 30min); Yangon
(weekly; 40min).

Ogre Island
Around an hour out of town by ferry, Ogre
Island is home to 200,000 people, most of
whom are Mon. Breeze Guest House (see
opposite) organizes trips to the island,